Nearly two-thirds of Netflix subscribers have tried out the company's ‘Watch Instantly’ streaming service, and more than half use it at least once a month, according to a survey released by research firm One Touch Intelligence.

The survey findings suggest that usage of the streaming service has moved beyond the early adopter stage and into the mainstream, with 62 per cent of subscribers saying they've used the Watch Instantly service at least once. More importantly, 54 per cent said that they stream at least one movie or TV show per month. Usage was fairly heavy among those who use the service. Watch Instantly users instantly watched an average of six titles per month, with more than 20 per cent surveyed saying they watched eight or more streaming videos per month.

Despite calls for a ‘streaming only’ option for subscribers, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has claimed that most users prefer a subscription service that includes both the DVD-by-mail and streaming options, and the survey bears that out. About 73 per cent of respondents say that they watch just as many DVDs as before they started using the streaming service. That compares to about 26 per cent who believe they're watching fewer DVDs thanks to the streaming service.